Welcome to the 'New Somerset and Dorset Railway'

The original Somerset and Dorset Railway closed very controversially in 1966. It is time that decision, made in a very different world, was reversed. We now have many councillors, MPs, businesses and individuals living along the line supporting us. Even the Ministry of Transport supports our general aim. The New S&D was formed in 2009 with the aim of rebuilding as much of the route as possible, at the very least the main line from Bath (Britain's only World Heritage City) to Bournemouth (our premier seaside resort); as well as the branches to Wells, Glastonbury and Wimborne. We will achieve this through a mix of lobbying, trackbed purchase and restoration of sections of the route as they become economically viable. With Climate Change, road congestion, capacity constraints on the railways and now Peak Oil firmly on the agenda we are pushing against an open door. We already own Midford just south of Bath, and are restoring Spetisbury under license from DCC, but this is just the start. There are other established groups restoring stations and line at Midsomer Norton and Shillingstone, and the fabulous narrow gauge line near Templevcombe, the Gartell Railway.

There are now FIVE sites being actively restored on the S&D and this blog will follow what goes on at all of them!

Midford - Midsomer Norton - Gartell - Shillingstone - Spetisbury

Our Aim:

Our aim is to use a mix of lobbying, strategic track-bed purchase, fundraising and encouragement and support of groups already preserving sections of the route, as well as working with local and national government, local people, countryside groups and railway enthusiasts (of all types!) To restore sections of the route as they become viable.

Whilst the New S&D will primarily be a modern passenger and freight railway offering state of the art trains and services, we will also restore the infrastructure to the highest standards and encourage steam working and steam specials over all sections of the route, as well as work very closely with existing heritage lines established on the route.

This blog contains my personal views. Anything said here does not necessarily represent the aims or views of any of the groups currently restoring, preserving or operating trains over the Somerset and Dorset Railway!

I liked the answer so much I've modified it and nicked it for the sidebar!

The original Waverley Railway line was axed after the Beeching Plan which predicted a national decline in rail traffic. It focused entirely on long distance intercity passenger and freight services without due regard to the needs of local areas. Since then there have been major improvements to rail technology. Railways are now increasingly important to solve local travel needs and reduce the environmental impacts of road traffic and road congestion. There has consequently been a major resurgence in the demand for rail travel. As a result there is much more government emphasis today on improving public transport in order to provide an integrated public transport network.

This really does hit the nail on the head. The Waverley route was closed really late in the hate campaign - 1969. It was, like the S&D, a main line. It served several large towns, particularly Hawick and Galashiels. Nobody locally wanted the line closed. It left the whole of the Scottish Borders devoid of any real transport.

Devolution has led both Scotland and Wales to push well ahead of England in restoring rail lines that should never have closed. The new Waverley route will not have as large a population catchment area as the new S&D. Yet they are years ahead of us.

To me the real turning point was in 1976 when the possible closure of the Settle and Carlisle was reversed. From that date there have been no major rail closures in the UK. Lines and stations began reopening soon afterwards, even in England. The Channel Tunnel was built as a rail tunnel only. The new link to the London Olympics is rail only, there is no car parking. The world is changing, and this is before Peak Oil really hits. Petrol and diesel are still incredibly cheap, yet already our railways are busier than they have been for over 50 years.

And now 'our' government is beginning to soften us up for the end of generally available personal private powered transport. New railways and tramways, road pricing, congestion charges, Sustrans as custodians of future rebuilt rail routes, even busways are part of this process.

More on busways next post. Make sure you're sitting down when you read it!

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

One of the oddest things about all this New S&D thing is that I still occasionally get asked 'Is this a serious scheme?' It's deadly serious. I have studied the economics of Peak Oil, of transport and of railways and I still can't see any way - short of apocalypse - that this can't happen.

Consider two futures. One in which - somehow - economic expansion continues and some sort of alternative/s to oil is found. Roads would become increasingly congested, towns would continue to expand. Already our railways are bursting at the seams - new lines are not just desirable but inevitable. And in this (extremely unlikely) scenario economic expansion could lead to increased carbon output. How long before every government finally 'gets' what the rest of us have for years - that fuel efficiency is one way of reducing atmospheric carbon? Railways are at least FOUR times as efficient as road transport, much more than four times as efficient as air travel (which even in this scenario is doomed). Light and ultra-light rail are even more efficient.

The other future, the far more realistic one, will see economic expansion halt and even contract, and the road system grind to a halt due to a mix of sky-high oil prices, deteriorating maintenance of roads and ever greater limits on carbon output. This could happen over decades, years or even weeks. In this scenario rail expansion won't only be desirable but a matter of life or death, for communities if not for individuals. New railways will be opening everywhere, not just totally reversing the Beeching cuts but reaching places that never got a railway first time round, because in this scenario no railway = no way of continuing as an economic community.

The New S&D has never been about dreams, but more about stopping a nightmare. A New S&D is already needed, many feel that the original line should never have closed, in twenty years time only a few rocking lunatics won't see the need for it.

What we need - HAVE - to do is get organised NOW, develop our networks and contacts, within the rail industry, among local people, at local, regional and national political levels. It will be a struggle to get resources, human and financial. We will be competing with hundreds or even thousands of other routes desperate to reopen before the oil runs out. Serious? You could say that!

Monday, July 27, 2009

I know this looks like some sterile Photoshop fantasy, but this madness is actually happening in Cambridgeshire. This is the guided busway that some loonies have been building - on a railway route would you believe - between Cambridge and St Ives.

In the words of one of our members - I have been meaning to go over and photo some of this meaningless busway before it opens, just as a warning to other railway re-opening schemes just what can be imposed by government if you're not careful.

I doubt very much that this would ever happen through the Mendip Hills, but it just goes to show that rather than accept the fact that they were wrong to close these lines in the first place, they will re-open them as busways instead, as it can mean less loss of face.

They won't last into the future, as its really a poor mans' railway, albeit at twice the cost!

I have to pinch myself looking at these pictures. What the hell are they thinking of??

This line has a vigorous campaigning group, seeking to have the (previously intact) route restored, electrified and ready to carry hundreds of thousands of former car users into Cambridge and on to the network. Instead they get this total joke, an oil-using monstrosity that peters out on the outskirts of Cambridge to just push more (inevitably almost empty) dirty buses to fight their way through the congestion to the sanity of Cambridge railway station - at more than twice the price of a restored railway (three times the cost of a modern tramway or light railway)!

So what poor St Ives gets is a time-limited joke, more oil guzzling buses that aren't even flexible. No solution to future freight transport. A one-off system with no ability to expand, a soon to be overgrown 'showpiece' that is unlikely to tempt anyone out of their cars once the novelty's worn off. It's already looking tatty, even before it's opened. It'll be no use in the snow. All it will do is encourage the citizens of St Ives to call for the restoration of their railway ASAP. What a total joke.

Mick Knox cleverly likens it to the Haytor Granite Tramway (below).

That also was a one off, and you can still see its remains high up on Dartmoor. This will be the perfect monument to this hopelessly failed government - an overgrown anachronism. A badly thought out 'solution' to the end of cheap oil, that appeals to no-one, doesn't do the job and was a total waste of money. All it tells us is that they have no intention of allowing us to own private transport in the future.

This weekend sees 'our' railway - The Gartell Light Railway - hold the second of our Transport events after the success of last year. We had a lot of compliments after our first event of this kind, mainly because we are more relaxed than some other events of this type! This year Steve Rodd, the man behind it all, has organised a two-day event, with more exhibits than last year, and yet entry is free with your train ticket, although a donation is appreciated of course. Take a look at the NEWS section of glr-online.co.uk We're just South of Templecombe - you can't miss it. See you Saturday or Sunday!

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Things have been buzzing around New S&D headquarters this week - and not just because of the swine flu! I've had a host of emails, letters and phonecalls. I will eventually dilute them all down to blog posts, but I'm still not 100% by any means ...

One thing we have done is join, as a group, Railfuture. It is the campaigning arm of the long-lived Railway Development Society Ltd. They must feel vindicated after all these years now that rail reopenings and developments are on everybodys' lips. Yet bad habits die hard and there is still a feeling of 'they're out to get us - this time with busways!' which I find more amusing than alarming! Fear not - busways are a 21st century version of the Blennie Railplane.

We'll be placing an ad in their next issue as this is a targeted market for us. I'd also advise all of you to join as individual members as this is a really good cause. Their website is here.

Monday, July 20, 2009

It wasn't a New S&D stall, but the Wessex Society stall at the Tolpuddle Martyrs' Show carried some hastily printed leaflets for us. Below is David's report back.

Take-up of the leaflets was very slow and I have most left over. Bob Craig took a batch of them over to the RMT stall, where they were apparently well-received.

I had three good conversations with folk who expressed interest, along the lines of 'nice idea, but it'll never happen'. They were all concerned at how practical it would be to deal with route obstructions. Buying-out what is now prize real estate and constructing diversions were both viewed as hopelessly expensive. Nevertheless, the idea of trying to secure whatever bits of trackbed come onto the market was applauded as very far-sighted. Although it was thought that the planning system might also have a role in protecting the route its limitations in this respect were appreciated. Where a route is safeguarded at all, it is likely to be no more than the width needed for a footpath or cycleway, as reportedly has happened at Radstock. A visitor from Midsomer Norton also welcomed the fact that New S&D would be looking at the line as a whole and hoped that it would enable the groups on their three different sites to work together more closely.

A teacher from the Blackmore Vale recalled that pupils used to travel by train to school but that the pattern of schools has now changed so that this would no longer be practical today. She did think that the Blackmore Vale - with the Dorset/Somerset boundary winding through it - was one area where an over-arching Wessex identity could help in addressing rural deprivation, especially access to facilities. She also recalled that the railways had had quite a socially divisive effect on Templecombe, as a barrier to movement within the village. She still finds bits of coal in her garden and wondered at the pollution involved in re-instating the railway.

There are some interesting points raised here. We overcame the 'nice idea, but it'll never happen' mindset years ago, but it's clear that we've got all that to look forward to again once we bring the message to new areas and new people. No problem! Many of the naysayers from a few years ago are now active members and supporters of the New S&D. At Radstock the protected piece of land is wide enough for a single track. In any case it is very rare that development takes place right up hard against a protected right of way, and it is more often that not just a garden extension, hardly a problem. It's also pretty clear that 90% of the population are still unaware of Peak Oil - or 'energy security' as our 'rulers' like to call it. It wasn't that long ago that 90% of the population were ignorant of climate change! As for development on S&D trackbed - there is very little, none of it is 'prize real estate' but poorish farmland. I doubt there are 65 dwellings on the whole trackbed of the S&D - but this number have been compulsory purchased and will be demolished as the Waverley route south of Edinburgh is rebuilt. This really is a non issue, and stems from ignorance.

To me the most interesting comments were those about Templecombe, that the S&D tended to be divisive there. How this compares with a motorway, A road or indeed airport runway wasn't gone into!

None of these are major issues, and we've been here many times before.

I'm really looking forward to the New S&D going 'out on the road' later in the year, bringing the message to those villages and, disgracefully, towns, that are still waiting for their trains to come back.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

It's really important that the four groups currently rebuilding the S&D and/or preserving its heritage should commit to working more and more closely together over the coming years. This has always been an important aim of the New S&D. It's very sad that in the past certain S&D groups barely acknowledged that each other existed!

I personally don't understand this attitude at all. We are all surely working towards the same thing?

I feel there are some obvious areas where we should already be working together. Joint membership would surely be a good idea, allowing S&D supporters to pay one membership fee that would allow them to work at ALL S&D sites. Joint events would allow us to throw all our resources together. There are some pieces of equipment and people with specific skills that could be applied to all the sections of line as they are restored. Also it would be great if all the existing groups could do an audit of stock and create one big ecommerce site to sell this on more efficiently.

What are your views on this because I've been hearing - at a 'high' level - that this is not a popular idea. The New S&D is committed to this but if you are a member of the other groups what is the general feeling in your neck of the woods? Please post comments to the comments section! And is the New S&D right in backing this, or should we perhaps think of ourselves only?

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Apologies for my recent absence from the blog - been fighting swine flu and still not quite winning! I've got loads to post but I need a clearer head before doing so. Should be 100% recovered in a day or so.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

We're now frantically churning out copy for the website. One feature is content for each S&D station with history, present status and future plans. This is the entry for Wellow.

History

Wellow was opened on 20 July 1874 with the S&D’s Bath Extension. There were two platforms and a neat limestone station building. This was a particularly attractive station, fitting in very well with the adjacent village. It was once quite busy with goods traffic including watercress, corn and agricultural equipment. It closed for freight on 10 June 1963 and completely on 7 March 1966.

Current status

The station building survives as a private house, as does the signalbox.

Future plans

The station will once again see trains when this section of the line is restored. It is hoped that the building and signalbox can be purchased before the reopening.

Great news is that Midsomer Norton is no longer in the market for a replacement for Derrick, the Roadrailer. He's back at work on the extension. It seems that the stringent rules that MN thought they had to adhere to only apply to the main line, and that Derrick is up to scratch. So progress on the Chilcompton extension should now proceed without hindrance.

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Jeremy Woodrow has very kindly sent the original pic previously lifted from the MMOG newsletter so here is the new coach in all its glory!

I can't wait to see this coupled to the other coach which has now made its way off site for the final refurbishment. Then it's back to Midsomer Norton and hopefully, soon, being pulled by a genuine S&D steam engine on regular passenger trains. This will be such a momentous event in railway preservation that nobody should miss it. I know I won't!

Saturday, July 04, 2009

Midlands Mark One coach number 26049 is now resident at Midsomer Norton - and it looks superb! (Sorry for the quality of the picture - it was taken directly from the newsletter - better quality shots are welcomed!!)

It is so important that the S&D restoration captures the feel of the line as it was in its prime. These Mark One coaches are every bit as iconic as Midford station, Midsomer Norton box, Templecombe, 9Fs, Ivo's Bentley and Prestleigh viaduct.

There are still a lot of costs looming to get the coach fully restored inside and to this end the MMOG are asking for further donations. If you would like to help with this please send a cheque made payable to 'Midlands Mark One Group' to Jeremy Woodrow, 1 Bathway Cottages, Bathway, CHEWTON MENDIP, Somerset, BA3 4NP. You can also make regular payments by standing order - again if interested please contact Jeremy at the above address for a form. (We will also do a pdf of this form on the New S&D website after David returns from his holiday this coming week, but please don't wait).

Friday, July 03, 2009

I finally persuaded our perfectionist webmaster to let the website go live just minutes ago!

There's still a lot of work to do, there are a few text sections to go in (blame the tennis for the delay!) and many photos, but we both agreed that it was time to put our toes in the water.

David has also agreed to join the committee, so we are now up to six. If you've been waiting until now to join the New S&D you will find Paypal buttons plus a pdf membership form on the new site that will allow you to do this easily. So what are you waiting for?

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

I was down at Spetisbury back in February and was very impressed with the permanence of the place, particularly the brickwork which looks like it's been built to last a thousand years! There won't be a lot of work getting this place back on the network! The idiots who once thought the S&D was finished forever could never have visted this station!

Member Paul Beard popped down there the other day and has a small slideshow of the station here.

Our website

JOIN THE NEW S&D!!

Joining the New S&D is easy - simply click on the Paypal button below for ordinary (£15), junior (£7) or LIFE (£250) membership. Membership gives you the right (with full insurance cover) to work at either of our sites at Midford and Spetisbury, 2 magazines per year and 10% discount on items from our online sales site and, in the future, reduced fares on trains!

WANTED FOR THE NEW S&D!

As we move from the early stages to a more mature state we need a number of key people to help us spread the word about the New S&D and rail resurgence in general. Ideally we'd love to have the following people -

SALES OFFICER - to develop mail order and internet sales, also attend events up and down the route to promote the line. At a later stage will be fully responsible for building shop stock at Midford and Spetisbury.

PROMOTIONS OFFICER - to promote the line via meetings etc. Would also liaise with local and regional government, working as a lobbyist for the New S&D. Would work closely with the PRESS OFFICER.

TREASURER - to take care of the accounts, make payments etc, and advise on financial matters.

HERITAGE OFFICER - to promote and care for all the heritage aspects of the line.

If you are interested in any of the above posts please email me at leysiner@aol.com

Ideally the sales officer position needs to be held by somebody local to the line - would happily split this role Dorset/Somerset if it makes it more manageable! Ideally the Promotions Officer would also live locally to the line. The other posts can be distant from the line.

OUR NEXT MEETING -

will be our AGM, spring 2015 location to be decided, but will be in the Bath area.

New S&D Logo

and website link!

SPETISBURY

We are now actively restoring the site at SPETISBURY, in Dorset. If you are interested in getting involved down there please contact our Spetisbury Project Manager by email on deancockwell@ntlworld.com
Alternatively please phone me (Steve Sainsbury) on 0117 3738973

MIDFORD FACEBOOK - NEW SOMERSET AND DORSET RAILWAY The New S&D will be holding a meeting on Saturday 21st May from 2pm to 4...

bring it back

WORKING AT MIDFORD - IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Volunteers are welcome to go up to Midford at any time to do restoration work - but please bear the following in mind!Please under no circumstances park in the Hope and Anchor car park at any time, even when the pub is not open. There is plenty of car parking on Twinhoe Lane, by the gate that gives access to the cycleway. From there it is a very pleasant walk to the station over the viaduct! Please carry tools etc by hand.Please email or phone me first just so I know there is somebody there and to give you an idea of what work needs to be done.Within a few weeks we will have New S&D reflective jackets available. Please wear these whenever possible.You are an ambassador for the line. Please talk to anyone who is interested in the line and if you have them please hand out leaflets. Be friendly and professional at all times!Please keep the cycleway clear of tools etc at all times.Please take ALL litter etc home, including cigarette ends.

Please respect all the wildlife in the area, always check if clearing that you are not destroying a nest etc. If in doubt please leave well alone.Please use the Hope and Anchor pub for drinks and food.We do not currently have insurance for volunteers. You are working at your own risk, personal injury insurance is recommended.Please take care at all times and think of others, volunteers and members of the public.

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WANTED!

Volunteers to join the regular working parties restoring MIDFORD station.

You need to be a New S&D member (you can sign up on the day). Bring tools etc!

the rail thing

Come with us on a journey through time and space ...
the rail thing can throw up ANYTHING rail-related, from BR in the 70s to Swiss trams, Czech funiculars to British classic miniature railways ...the rail thing

New S&D on Facebook

Midford Station Appeal

The first aim of the New S&D will be to secure the station site at Midford and rebuild the station as a visitor information centre. This will only be the very first small step to restoring the route, but possibly the most important. As Paypal charges can be high it is better to make larger donations (£20+) by cheque wherever possible, but please feel free to use this facility for any amounts if easier! Cheques should be made payable to 'New Somerset and Dorset Railway' and sent to New S&D, Midford Station Appeal, 10 Bellamy Avenue, Hartcliffe, BRISTOL, BS13 0HW. We may be introducing a share scheme for the station so a record will be made of all donations and if a share scheme is agreed then all moneys will be allocated to doners and shares issued to the full value of donations made.

MIDFORD STATION APPEAL

Join and support the New S&D

Basic membership is just £15 per year. This entitles you to participate in all New S&D activities, receive regular news and info (by email and/or post), vote at meetings, receive 10% reduction on sales items and, if you wish, contribute directly to the blog.

enhanced options

YOU CAN OF COURSE ALSO PAY BY CHEQUE! Please make cheques payable to 'New Somerset and Dorset Railway' and send to New S&D, 10 Bellamy Avenue, Hartcliffe, BRISTOL, BS13 0HW

Donations to the New S&D

You can now donate specifically for those aspects of the New S&D that you personally have the most interest in.
New S&D Steam Centre
Plan is to create a base on the route (Templecombe or Evercreech are suggested) where steam locomotives can be shedded and serviced and run services over the route. These will be additional to the 'real' passenger and freight scheduled services.

You can donate any amount by clicking the Paypal button below.

STEAM CENTRE.

If your main interest is in purchasing and securing land and buildings then you can donate any amount specifically for this purpose by clicking on the Paypal button below.

LAND PURCHASE.

If you would like to donate towards lobbying local, regional and national government in addition to helping maintain a high media profile then you can donate any amount by clicking the Paypal button below.
LOBBYING AND MEDIA.

You can of course make specific donations by cheque through the post. Please state what the donation is for, or whether it is a general donation, and send to -

What group does what on the S&D?

The S&D was a large network, over 100 miles in all, and was the most popular line in the UK, if not the world.

For this reason there are a variety of groups restoring and preserving the S&D.

They are -

The New Somerset and Dorset Railway - a land purchasing and lobbying group determined to reopen the whole S&D as a response to Peak Oil and Climate Change, blending sustainable modern and heritage transport. Direct email contact. They also manage the growing Somerset and Dorset Railway ecommerce site here. They own and are currently restoring Midford station and will shortly do the same at Spetisbury, for rebuilding as information offices for the whole route. Facebook.

Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust - restoring Midsomer Norton station with plans to extend to Radstock and towards Shepton Mallet. In summer regular passnger trains are operated at this iconic S&D location. The station and area have been restored to their full pre-closure glory. There is also a museum on site.

Sturminster Rail Group - aim is to purchase strategic sections of the route particularly between Sturminster Newton and Henstridge to allow the running of trains in the future.

North Dorset Railway Trust - based at Shillingstone in Dorset has restored the iconic station at Shillingstone and is also in the process of laying track for up to a mile. They have a diesel loco on site and will shortly be taking delivery of steam loco 'Cunarder'. Facebook.

Gartell Light Railway - a two foot gauge private railway operating on part of the S&D near Templecombe, currently extending northwards. Operates about once a month.

There is also a private restoration project at Masbury station but PLEASE do not trespass on the site!

The S&D Stamp Appeal

Turning stamps into track!

Remember you can help raise money for the New Somerset and Dorset Railway or the Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust (Midsomer Norton) by sending used stamps to us. These are quickly turned into cash which will help us set the organisation up or continue the work at Midsomer Norton.

ALL stamps are required, even the regular 1st and 2nd class small ones. Ideally they should be trimmed to within about 1/4" of the perforations, on just the front part of the envelope.

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Copyright

We do occasionally use images and text from other people. Wherever possible we do contact the creators to clear use, but it is sometimes hard to trace the original copyright, for example if we use an uncredited image from a third party website. Please be assured that all text and images are for strictly non-commercial use. If you are a copyright holder and we have used your text or images please contact us and we will endeavour to either remove the text/images or come to an agreement for their use. We all have the interest of the S&D at heart.